Arsenal put off by Luis Enrique’s £200million transfer budget demands after secret London talks
Gunners had hoped ex-Barcelona chief would take over from Arsene Wenger but Chelsea now look in pole position to sign him
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ARSENAL have been put off by Luis Enrique's £200million transfer war chest demands after secret London talks, according to the Sunday Times.
The Gunners had hoped the former Barcelona chief, 47, would take over from Arsene Wenger, who is leaving the Emirates this summer.
However, reports suggest the North London club have now put the brakes on any potential deal over the outrageous transfer kitty request.
Enrique was the early favourite to succeed Wenger - who is stepping aside after 22 years in charge.
However, the Spaniard is believed to have signalled his desire to rip through the squad with major changes should he have agreed a deal with Arsenal.
Only the forward line was said to be safe from the axe, with £60m record-signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette untouchable.
Arsenal already deemed Enrique to be an expensive option to take over at the Emirates - with his wage demands said to be sky-high.
Now the Gunners consider the Spaniard to be an "inappropriate fit", say the Sunday Times, after asking for an outlandish transfer kitty.
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With Enrique seemingly talking himself out of contention for the top job at Arsenal, the Gunners board have begun to look elsewhere.
One potential target is Napoli chief Maurizio Sarri - who has enjoyed another phenomenal season with I Ciucciarelli.
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Napoli beat reigning Serie A champions Juventus 1-0 last week to close the gap to the league-leaders to a single point, with four games to play.
Juve beat ten-man Inter Milan 3-2 in a thriller on Saturday, with Napoli aiming to close-up the gap once more when they travel to Fiorentina on Sunday.
Arsenal are likely to be keeping an eye on the game - and Sarri - as they continue to plan for the future in life after long-serving Wenger.
Another option for Arsenal is said to be Juventus chief Massimiliano Allegri, but on Saturday he vowed to stay in Turin for at least another year.